Overview

• Iain Smith, 35, was wrongly billed £7,654.77 by OVO Energy for electricity at an address he never occupied following a case of mistaken identity
• The Energy Ombudsman ruled that Smith was not liable and issued a legally binding order for OVO to scrap the charge and erase associated markers
• An OVO spokesperson says Smith has been taken off the account and received a goodwill payment and apology for the ordeal
• Smith asserts that OVO has not complied with the Ombudsman’s directive, allowing the disputed balance to keep growing
• He is seeking escalation to Ofgem and has warned that minimal identity checks on new energy accounts leave the sector vulnerable to fraud